Posted by Brigham and Women's Hospital March 11, 2014

Emily is getting ready for bariatric surgery.

Today’s post is written by BWH patient Emily Bell, a 43-year-old woman who has made the decision to seek surgical treatment for her obesity. Emily is blogging about her experience throughout her journey to better health. This is the second post in chronicling her journey to better health.

Since I made the decision to undergo weight loss surgery, the last two months have included a series of nutritional sessions, meetings with my surgeon and the program’s behavioral psychologist, and many tests. I’ve been living mostly on protein shakes for two weeks, and I’ll enjoy them for two weeks after surgery as well. That will pass. After surgery, I may be nauseous for a few days, but that too will pass.

I’ve been asked repeatedly to look at my eating patterns and recognize how they have to change if this surgery is to be successful. The entire team, especially my surgeon and the behavioral psychologist, has impressed upon me that this will be a dramatic change. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s not for those who can’t do the work required.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) patient Emily Bell describes her decision to seek surgical treatment for her obesity. Over the coming months, Emily will be blogging about her journey to better health – from information sessions through surgery and beyond.

There are a wide range of weight loss approaches, including lifestyle changes, medical therapies, and surgical treatments. Physicians from the Brigham and Women’s Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery discuss how they individualize weight management plans for patients based on needs and preferences.

Posted by Brigham and Women's Hospital January 21, 2014

Emily Bell, 43, has made the decision to seek surgical treatment for her obesity.

Today’s post is written by BWH patient Emily Bell, a 43-year-old woman who has made the decision to seek surgical treatment for her obesity. Emily will be blogging about her experience throughout her journey to better health.

A couple of months ago, I had lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in more than a year. We were once in Weight Watchers together, and neither of us was new to weight loss. We’ve shared the tribulations of “keeping it off” and commiserated over the way we’ve dieted our hearts out and always gained the weight back.

When I saw her recently, I noticed that my friend had lost weight again. “What have you been eating …” I trailed off, realizing that her body wasn’t just smaller. Something was different. I changed my question. “How did this happen?”

She answered in a dramatic stage whisper. “I got the surgery.”

It took me a minute to figure out what she meant. I frowned. “Obesity surgery? Really? But that’s …” In my mind it was like admitting failure. Except my friend isn’t a failure. She’s a highly functional, social, confident, and intelligent woman. I asked, “What procedure did you have?”